Hello again. We've just spent considerable time looking at housing considerations for the 90 percent of the time a horse is at rest and not under saddle and working. In this lesson, we'll discuss the options for the footing surface and arena surface, where the horse is being asked to work, train, or perform. By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to identify and list the various types of footings that are out there and options for horses and you'll be able to make a connection between the footing selection and the musculoskeletal health of the horse. The basic elements of safety and minimal hazards apply when working the horse. During work and exercise, the horse's hooves make contact with the footing, which is the ground itself or a covering on top of the ground. The footing choice will vary with the type of work the horse is doing, such as racing, jumping, dressage, trail, or ranch work. Footing options are vast, but some of the more common types of equine arena footing are: Grass footing or turf, dirt, chopped bark, decomposed granite or sand granite mix, a shredded rubber mix, or a synthetic fiber and sand mix. Each of these has advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of work the horse is doing. There are however some general considerations when making a decision about the footing a horse will work on. First and foremost, a horse should be able to do his work, whether training, racing, jumping, or any of the other disciplines. This means he should be able to move with confidence knowing that the footing beneath him will allow him to take strides safely and in comfort and won't slip out from underneath him. He should be able to push off to increase his gait or jump or land on a forgiving surface that minimizes concussion. Horses will need traction to do work or they may need a well groomed smooth surface to glide or slide on command. When working on a surface, holes, dips, rough areas, changes in texture, or areas where the horse can slip can cause a problem for the horse. You can imagine how the safety of the rider can be jeopardized when the horse loses its footing or trips. So this is an area of rider health, as well as equine welfare. It is important to know what a horse's job is, and how the horse needs to perform, and what surfaces are available and most appropriate to allow the horse to have its natural gait. Keeping that in mind, let's review some questions you should ask yourself and then go over the different types of footing. Start by asking yourself, what is the most appropriate surface for the work my horse is doing in terms of cushioning, traction, and durability? It's often appropriate to have a conversation with someone who's been trained in footing installation and with your trainer to guide you in decision making. Questions to ask include, how will my regional climate and weather affect the surface? What types of surfaces are available to me in my region or might need to be shipped in? Is the existing base compatible with the footing surface? Can I handle the daily and long-term maintenance of the footing? Will the fulling I choose withstand the amount of use and how often will it need to be reinstalled? What are the disadvantages of the footing? Does it create dust, have poor drainage, have an odor associated with it, or does it deteriorate quickly? Can the footing be modified with other products to improve its use or to improve its properties? Let's look at the types of footing in more detail starting with the most common, which is grass or turf. Grass can be a forgiving natural surface, and depending on the soils below and the root systems of the grass, it may provide excellent natural drainage and cushion. However, grass can be very slippery when wet. Grasses can also mask holes and other hazards that the horse may trip over. Race horses and three-day event horses may need to perform on grass, but it may be unsuitable for disciplines that require patterns or tight moves or turns. For some equestrian disciplines, farriers are allowed to apply special shoes with clips or squawks or studs to assist the horse in gripping the surface. But any time we affix a structure to a shoe, we do affect the musculoskeletal dynamics of the limb, much like wearing cleats. Dirt and clay can be a suitable surface for working a horse if it's not too hard packed and has the right amount of moisture content and drainage. Some soils do not drain well and dirt surfaces can become flooded and slippery. Repeated use will create ruts and uneven surfaces which can cause the horse to trip or to use the limbs in an unbalanced manner, which can lead to lameness. Regular maintenance of dirt or clay surfaces is necessary to maintain consistency and quality surface properties. Shredded bark can provide a cushion surface for working horses but it can break down quickly. It retains moisture well, but does have a tendency to dry out and become dusty in very hot climates. Maintenance can include watering with a sprinkler and replenishing with fiber as the older surface decomposes. It is always important to inspect natural footing projects that are delivered for foreign objects that can serve as a hazard to the horse, or any type of protruding such as nails, wires, or other types of metal. Dirt and chopped bark can be combined with sand to control the firmness and improve the usefulness of a variety [inaudible]. Angular sands are preferred over river sands because they are more likely to compact and create adequate grip for the horse. Moisture and depth of the surface can be adjusted with sand. Sand is a fairly accessible and versatile surface, but there is a science to understanding its applications. Pacific equine disciplines require different types and depths of sand and it's important to understand particle size, hardness, and shape in different types of sands. The particle size is what classifies sand. Too small, and it is clay; too large, and it is gravel. Uniformed size particles will stay loose, but may be too loose and cause sinking of the horse's foot or slipping of the footage out and underneath the hoof. Mixed particle sizes may compact too much as some of the smaller pieces get nestled in against the larger pieces. But as a rule, angular sands provide better grip. The degree of hardness of the particle is determined by the mineral content and this determines durability and longevity. Soft mineral compositions are less than ideal because their early breakdown means dust. The shape of the particle also affects the usefulness of the sand as footing. If the sand is too round, it will likely be unstable, much like beach sand and cause slipping. Sand is a very useful mixture with other products, such as dirt, bark, rubber, and fiber. Stone dust, which is finally crushed rock that packs down, can be a good complement to sand. Shredded rubber footings are made from recycled rubber products, usually tires. Ideally, shredded rubber footings are for use in indoor arenas, as exposure to direct sunlight can cause the rubber to melt and produce an odor. Rubber tends to be freeze resistant and makes a good choice for colder climates, is relatively dust free depending on the base or mixture with sand, and it is long lasting. Another potential maintenance issue associated with rubber is that it needs to be raked and groomed regularly to keep a level surface especially in the perimeter of the riding ring where horses tend to track in the same place. Adding sand helps to loosen and lighten rubber and can improve its manageability. Initial investment in rubber footing may be high, but it is a durable product. Sand fiber surfaces, also known as synthetic surfaces, are more common in the equine industry and are used for race tracks and for training centers, primarily in the English disciplines. The fiber products when mixed with sand tend to provide a good cushion for the horse and are very commonly used in show arena venues. Sometimes the sand is coated with a wax substance or polymer to allow it to maintain moisture. The wax substance can create greater resistance to forward motion of the hoof when it strikes the ground, which can overload the soft tissues of the horse. So wax coated products are only useful under certain circumstances. As a rule, the synthetic surfaces tend to provide a surface that is flexible to the hooves and that drain well. As you can imagine, some of the synthetic surfaces are often the more expensive option and likely something a small riding stable is less likely to invest in when there are other practical options. Several research teams are investigating the role of synthetic turf and other types of arena surfaces in musculoskeletal health. In many cases, when the horse's hoof hits the ground, if it decelerates too quickly, if there's too much resistance in the footing, the horse can suffer soft tissue or musculoskeletal injury. This is an area of research that is extremely important to the welfare of the horse and is evolving over time. In many cases, arena surfaces are installed at significant expense without the proper science behind them to justify their ingredients. Oftentimes, these arenas are adjusted as they go to provide adequate drainage, firmness, resistance, and grip. In the racing world, there is clear association between certain types of racing track and musculoskeletal injury has been made, and further work in research is needed in this area to optimize surfaces for race horses and performance horses. Dr. Susan Stover and her team at the J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Lab have published significant findings on the role of surface arenas and musculoskeletal health. She and her team are doing groundbreaking work at UC Davis on injury prevention and you can find links to additional resources on footing on the resource page. No matter what the footing, keep in mind that the farrier is a key provider of health and wellness to your horse. Ideally, the farrier works with the veterinarian to optimize the biomechanics of a horse's foot and to shoe them at the appropriate hoof length and angle to minimize stress on their bones and tissues in the various disciplines in which they perform. Next, we'll finish up this module with the discussion of exercise. To truly be free of discomfort horses need exercise, but what kind and how much? We'll address those and other questions in our next lesson. See you soon.
